Tongue Tied Episode 9

Aria and Grant clung to each other like novice sailors at a ship’s railing in rough seas. The heat between them molded their lips together like sweet caramel.

Aria jerked away. “We got to go,” she said. “Now. Can you walk?”

Grant nodded, and Aria helped him to his feet. He stumbled forward out of the carriage and landed face down in the dirt.

“Maybe not,” he said. Aria helped him to his feet and looped his arm over her shoulders.

“Sorry,” she said. “We can’t wait. Them saloonies will be coming for me.” He leaned on her like a drunk as she half-dragged him to the edge of the pit. “Where’s this here dragon?”

As if in answer, heat flooded over her, and a dragon’s head the size of the carriage materialized above the thurium pit. Heat radiated from the fire smoldering in the dragon’s mouth, it’s golden eyes locked on Aria’s. “Your dragon don’t look none to happy to see us.”

“Good girl, Bessie,” Grant said. “It’s okay.”

The flames in Bessie’s mouth died down. Aria stood motionless as Bessie sniffed up one side, and down the other, but she flinched when Bessie’s tongue flicked out, and tasted her arm. “Why do you have a dragon?”

Grant struggled to stand on his own, wobbled, and slumped back against Aria. “She’s more useful than a horse,” he said. “More reliable than a skimmer. Besides, I think she done took a shine to me.”

He raised his hand toward the dragon. “Haven’t you girl.” Bessie lowered her head in front of Grant, and he caressed her snout.

“Hey!” Drake yelled from the pit. “You leaving me here as dragon food?”

Bessie whipped her head toward him and spit a stream of fire. Drake screamed and ducked back into the cave.

“Who’s that?” Aria said.

“My next bounty.”

“How much you getting?”

“Once I deliver him at the Columns, they’ll pay me seventy-five — silver or thurium, my choice.”

“Whooeee,” Aria said, and whistled. “That’s a small fortune. What’re we going to do with all that money.”

“We?” Grant tested his legs again. This time they held, and he stood on his own. He glared down at Aria. “You shot me — and you drugged me.”

“Well, You left me in this viper-pit of a hole-in-the-desert — for five years — to fend for myself.”

“And you think shooting and drugging me makes us even?”

“Not quite. But it’s a start.”

 “How ‘bout I leave you behind for your saloonies,” Grant said, “and fly on out of here with my bounty.”

Aria reached inside her handbag and snatched Grant’s blaster. “How ‘bout I shoot you, and tell them saloonies you tried to kidnap me.”

They stared at each other, tension flickering. Bessie looked from Grant, to Aria, and back. “You shoot me,” Grant said, “and Bessie won’t take too kindly to it.”

Bessie spewed smoke out of her nostrils from a rekindled fire in her mouth, and singed Aria’s arm.

(Get lost on the trail and end up here at Episode 9 with no idea what’s going on? Try starting out at Episode 1)

(If’n you just skipped over to Episode 9 and missed Episode 8, now’s your chance to click back and catch up (that’s different than ketchup))